Bilateral congenital torticollis: a case report with 25 years of follow-up

Abstract

Unilateral congenital sternocleidomastoid muscle (SCM) contracture causing torticollis is well known. Although the unilateral muscular torticollis is quite often recognized, a bilateral contracture of SCM muscle is very rare. A review of the literature showed only three cases of bilateral congenital torticollis reported over the last two decades. We present a case report of a boy with congenital bilateral torticollis with 25 years of follow-up. Bilateral tenotomies of the right SCM were performed and the child was immobilized in Schanz’s cervical orthosis. Three months after operative procedure, the physical examination indicated an increasing contracture of the left SCM with time. A similar operative procedure was applied to the left SCM. The follow-up examinations showed good wound healing and a positive outcome. Bilateral congenital muscular torticollis is a very rare form of muscle skeletal disorder. We describe a surgical treatment of such deformation that ended with a satisfactory result confirmed through a 25-year follow-up.